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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 124 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to confront
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. face — part of the head
  18. swing — in golf
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — music
  24. pitch — completely

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