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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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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: pitcher · chest · bulb · present · band · stick · face · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. present — the time now
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. face — part of the head
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chest — a box
  17. band — a ring
  18. face — to confront
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — there
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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