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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · pop · lash · dip · face · cold · bulb · tube

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cold — not warm
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pass — a permit
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. face — to confront
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tube — a container
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — music

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