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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — part of the head
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chest — of your body
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. face — to confront
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chest — a box
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — a subject
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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