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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: mate · row · face · bulb · wave · foot · kick · capital

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — a line
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kick — in football
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. face — to confront
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mate — a partner

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