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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. face — to confront
  6. swing — music
  7. pass — a permit
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hand — help
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hand — in cards
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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