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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: pitcher · face · bark · cell · lie · hand · bass · bulb

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — low music
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cell — a phone
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hand — help
  22. face — to confront
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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