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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 120 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: hand · bulb · swing · fork · face · fall · chest · safe

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chest — a box
  4. face — to confront
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bulb — for light
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. fall — the season
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chest — of your body
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fork — in a road
  24. hand — help

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