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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: nail · pop · shower · land · race · bulb · bound · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bound — certain
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. race — a contest
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. face — part of the head
  8. land — ground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — to come down
  11. pop — to visit
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — a country
  14. pop — music
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pop — soda
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bound — obliged
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. shower — to wash

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