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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: march · firm · face · sharp · wound · season · scale · bulb

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wound — an injury
  4. sharp — clever
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. face — to point toward
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. march — music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. firm — steady
  13. march — the month
  14. scale — in music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bulb — for light
  17. firm — a company
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — the month
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. face — to confront
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. firm — decided

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