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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.

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: face · capital · straw · wave · mouse · lean · court · bulb

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. face — to point toward
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. capital — a city
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. face — part of the head
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lean — to bend
  12. face — to confront
  13. lean — thin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — money
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. court — of a king

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