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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: lash · firm · cell · clip · face · nail · patient · bulb

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — to cut
  4. face — to confront
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. firm — decided
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cell — in biology
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. face — to point toward
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. firm — a company
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. face — part of the head
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. firm — steady
  23. cell — in a prison
  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