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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: firm · hide · face · pop · rash · spring · date · bulb

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. firm — a company
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rash — a series
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — soda
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pop — music
  18. spring — a coil
  19. face — to confront
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. face — part of the head

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