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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bulb — for light
  4. face — to confront
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — a break
  8. tear — to rip
  9. press — to push
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. date — the fruit
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rest — what's left
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. tear — from crying

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