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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — to come from
  3. present — the time now
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rule — government
  22. mine — for digging
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mine — belonging to me

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