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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 116 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: game · bulb · bat · bank · nail · clip · rest · face

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. game — a match
  3. face — to confront
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — a video
  12. rest — a break
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bank — of a river
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bank — for money
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rest — what's left
  24. clip — to cut

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