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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: bulb · face · pitcher · fine · can · lean · wake · straw

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. face — to confront
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — all right
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lean — thin

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