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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — the season
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. staff — a stick
  9. spring — of water
  10. dip — to sink
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — to recline
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. face — to confront
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth

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