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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 · fine · face · cold · wind · bulb · plane · cabinet

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fine — all right
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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