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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ruler · face · hide · march · suit · land · wax · craft

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — ground
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. craft — a skill
  8. march — the month
  9. land — to come down
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. suit — clothes
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — to fit
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. craft — boats

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