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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — of a king
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com