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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: wave · row · bat · pop · bulb · face · perch · saw

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pop — soda
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pop — to visit
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. row — a line
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pop — music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bat — the animal

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