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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: jam · fork · pitcher · face · date · wax · mouse · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. rule — government
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — to confront
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rule — a law
  9. wax — to grow
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fork — in a road
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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