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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. spring — of water
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. face — to point toward
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. lie — to recline
  12. craft — boats
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. spring — the season
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. face — part of the head
  22. press — to push
  23. band — a ring
  24. face — to confront

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