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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · wind · rule · bay · face · bulb

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. 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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. face — part of the head
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. club — a group
  18. 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