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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: bulb · pound · patient · roll · snap · wake · pass · face

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to click
  3. wake — a trail
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pass — a permit
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — to point toward
  12. roll — a list
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pound — a weight
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pound — to hit hard

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