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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 116 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: ground · racket · leaves · face · land · last · bulb · net

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. land — to come down
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. land — ground
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. last — finally
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. net — after costs
  17. face — to confront
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ground — a position

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