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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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Word bank
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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: cue · lie · bulb · ground · cap · bass · face · bark

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. ground — a position
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bass — low music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — a hint
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lie — to recline

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