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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 116 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: rush · content · wind · hide · tear · cell · face · bulb

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tear — to rip
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cell — in biology
  18. face — to confront
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rush — hurry

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