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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: face · cell · last · present · rule · bear · snap · wax

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. present — the time now
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rule — government
  11. snap — to click
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to confront
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — to go on
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. present — a gift
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. present — there
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. last — final
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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