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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: can · kid · land · rush · bulb · snap · face · wound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to click
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. land — to come down
  9. wound — an injury
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rush — hurry
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. land — a country

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