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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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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: season · ground · wake · pop · face · bulb · toast · chest

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — soda
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ground — crushed
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chest — a box
  10. toast — bread
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — a position
  14. pop — to visit
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pop — music
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. season — of the year
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. season — in sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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