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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. wake — a trail
  2. face — to confront
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — to point toward
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — size or range
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. squash — to crush
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — in music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — a phone
  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