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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: wind · foot · present · rush · face · bulb · jam · leaves

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. present — a gift
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. present — there
  18. face — to point toward
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. foot — the bottom

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