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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: bear · spring · snap · bulb · face · current · kick · fall

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. current — electric
  4. face — to confront
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. snap — to click
  7. current — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — happening now
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — of water
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. spring — a coil
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — the season
  18. fall — the season
  19. kick — in football
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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