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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a ring
  5. face — part of the head
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. staff — employees
  8. object — to protest
  9. band — a music group
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. face — to point toward
  13. hand — in cards
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. snap — to click
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — help
  24. staff — employees

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