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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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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: tear · stick · toast · bulb · chest · current · mouse · face

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — happening now
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — electric
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — a box
  9. face — to point toward
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — to confront
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. toast — bread
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — to rip
  22. face — part of the head
  23. current — of water
  24. chest — of your body

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