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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 120 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 · straw · hide · bass · land · bulb · drill · cap

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cap — of ice
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. face — part of the head
  15. land — ground
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. drill — a practice
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bass — low music
  21. drill — army training
  22. face — to confront
  23. land — a country
  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