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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: temple · game · bear · chest · face · pitcher · wax · rule

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. face — to confront
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chest — a box
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a match
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rule — government
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rule — a law
  23. chest — of your body
  24. temple — a place of worship

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