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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 · mine · wave · swing · firm · saw · bulb · march

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. march — the month
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. swing — in golf
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. face — to confront
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — the tool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. march — the month
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — music
  21. march — music
  22. firm — a company
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mine — belonging to me

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