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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. face — part of the head
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. track — a song
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — to point toward
  10. club — a group
  11. drill — the tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to click
  16. track — a path
  17. club — for dancing
  18. degree — an amount
  19. drill — army training
  20. degree — temperature
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bulb — for light
  23. face — to confront
  24. club — for golf

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