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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — to confront
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. band — a music group
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. lie — to recline
  14. race — a contest
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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