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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: file · face · field · tear · mouse · chip · hide · bulb

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bulb — for light
  3. face — to confront
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. field — a subject
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chip — for betting
  22. file — a tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mouse — the animal

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