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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a music group
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — to confront
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a ring
  14. face — part of the head
  15. march — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spring — the season
  22. can — to be able to
  23. march — the month
  24. can — a tin

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