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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 120 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: face · present · saw · sharp · bulb · lie · wound · pitcher

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bulb — for light
  4. present — the time now
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — to confront
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — a gift
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. present — there
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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