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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. current — electric
  10. cap — of ice
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. cap — a hat
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — magic
  20. fall — the season
  21. spell — a short time
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spell — letters
  24. fall — to drop

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