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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: fine · season · wax · lie · cold · key · face · bore

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bore — to drill
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fine — all right
  5. key — the most important part
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. season — in sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fine — high quality
  15. key — in music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. season — of the year
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bore — to tire
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fine — a penalty

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