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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. snap — to click
  7. present — a gift
  8. mine — for digging
  9. present — there
  10. face — to point toward
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wake — a trail
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — to grow
  21. present — the time now
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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