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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: foot · last · face · bulb · capital · wound · pound · mouse

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. face — to confront
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. last — to go on
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — finally
  9. face — to point toward
  10. capital — money
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bulb — for light
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mouse — the animal

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