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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 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — in sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — for light
  11. face — part of the head
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — of the year
  17. bulb — for light
  18. nail — for a hammer

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