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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kid — child

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