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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: leaves · arm · current · bulb · mine · snap · tear · face

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to confront
  6. snap — to click
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — for digging
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — electric
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. current — of water

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