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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: row · date · net · fine · bulb · leaves · face · file

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. file — a document
  3. face — to confront
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — for catching
  6. date — the fruit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to point toward
  13. net — in sport
  14. fine — all right
  15. face — part of the head
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a line
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — of a plant

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