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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.

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: clip · safe · capital · bulb · fall · lash · face · land

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — a video
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to point toward
  5. capital — a city
  6. land — a country
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. face — part of the head
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. capital — money
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fall — the season
  15. clip — to cut
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. clip — for paper
  21. land — to come down
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. capital — a big letter

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