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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — to confront
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bass — low music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hide — to keep secret

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