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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chest — a box
  4. march — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. row — a line
  9. track — a path
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — to grow
  12. track — a song
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. march — the month
  16. face — to confront
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. track — to keep track
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. face — part of the head

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