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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — to confront
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wax — for sculpting

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