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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.

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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: dip · face · plane · bulb · track · wake · last · race

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. race — a contest
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. face — to confront
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bulb — for light
  13. face — to point toward
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — a song
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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