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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — part of the head
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. land — to come down
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. branch — of a bank

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