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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: pit · sharp · bulb · face · last · land · wave · cell

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — to go on
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — a country
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — to confront
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. land — ground
  17. last — final
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. face — to point toward

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