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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — a match
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. face — to confront
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rush — hurry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mine — for digging

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