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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bulb · bear · face · mark · content · spring · file · swing

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. content — the amount
  3. file — a document
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — happy
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mark — a trace
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bear — the animal
  20. swing — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bulb — of a plant

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