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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.

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: face · bulb · drill · tear · court · roll · rock · patient

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tear — to rip
  4. face — part of the head
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — of a king
  8. drill — a practice
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — for sport
  11. face — to confront
  12. rock — a stone
  13. face — to point toward
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — of law
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. roll — a cake
  19. drill — the tool
  20. roll — a list
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bulb — for light

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