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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 120 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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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: face · bulb · clip · fall · file · bowl · ruler · craft

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — to cut
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a line of people
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fall — the season
  10. file — a tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. clip — a video
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a document
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. craft — boats

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