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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: deal · face · fine · calf · wax · clip · mouse · chair

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. clip — a video
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fine — all right
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chair — a leader
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — for a computer

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