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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: face · ground · fall · object · bulb · dip · mark · tear

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fall — the season
  5. face — part of the head
  6. dip — to sink
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. object — a thing
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — crushed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. object — an aim
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. object — to protest
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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