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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: straw · bulb · lean · bat · dip · land · face · foot

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. face — to point toward
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. lean — thin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lean — to bend
  21. dip — to sink
  22. foot — a measure
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. land — to come down

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