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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: band · bulb · face · bore · patient · tear · firm · kick

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — to confront
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. band — a ring
  8. bore — to tire
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. firm — decided
  15. bore — to drill
  16. firm — a company
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. firm — steady
  20. band — a music group
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kick — in football
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kick — with a leg

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