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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · deal · wax · snap · rest · ground · face · land

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. face — part of the head
  10. snap — to click
  11. land — a country
  12. face — to confront
  13. bulb — for light
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rest — what's left
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. ground — a position
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rest — a break

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