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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cap — a lid
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. face — to confront
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cap — a hat
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — a division
  14. snap — to click
  15. face — part of the head
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bulb — for light

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