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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: mouse · tear · plane · file · craft · face · hide · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a tool
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. file — a document
  15. tear — to rip
  16. craft — boats
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. plane — in geometry

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