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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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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 · chest · rock · lie · wind · face · mate

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mate — to breed
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rock — music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to confront
  22. chest — a box
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up 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