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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: clip · face · wound · rush · wake · pop · bulb · fork

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. face — to confront
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rush — a thrill

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