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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: tear · face · court · bulb · file · leaves · cabinet · hide

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of a king
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. face — to confront
  8. file — a tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — part of the head
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. file — a document
  20. court — for sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bulb — for light

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