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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · face · tube · sharp · drill · cell · wax · cap

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tube — a container
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tube — the underground
  13. drill — the tool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. face — to confront
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mine — for digging
  23. drill — army training
  24. wax — in the ear

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