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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 116 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: bark · bulb · wind · face · kid · wake · club · pop

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. face — to confront
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — a group
  5. kid — child
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wind — moving air
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — for golf
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pop — music
  24. wake — a trail

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