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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: bulb · can · ball · mug · tear · march · pop · face

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mug — a cup
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. mug — a face
  7. face — to confront
  8. pop — music
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pop — soda
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. march — music
  24. can — a tin

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