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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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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: wind · toast · jam · bulb · face · deal · mug · tear

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mug — a face
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. tear — from crying
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — a cup
  11. toast — bread
  12. face — to confront
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. face — part of the head
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. face — to point toward

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