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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: bat · stem · nail · bear · fall · face · bulb · sharp

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. face — to confront
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bulb — for light
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bat — the animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stem — a stem cell

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