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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: face · wind · fork · cell · swing · wound · season · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — for light
  4. swing — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cell — in biology
  10. season — of the year
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. swing — in golf
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fork — to eat with

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