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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: bulb · file · cap · stem · face · row · nail · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cap — a lid
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. row — a line
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — to paddle
  13. face — to point toward
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cap — a hat
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ground — crushed
  20. face — part of the head
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. face — to confront
  24. stem — to come from

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