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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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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: content · hide · face · bulb · pop · perch · spring · dip

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pop — to visit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spring — a coil
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — of water
  13. pop — music
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. face — to confront
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — happy
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — part of the head
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spring — the season
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pop — soda

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