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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.

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: sharp · bear · bulb · season · cue · face · wind · row

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. row — to paddle
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — to point toward
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cue — a hint
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cue — a signal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. face — to confront
  11. wind — moving air
  12. season — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — of the year
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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