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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spring — a coil
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. branch — a division
  12. spring — the season
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. sharp — clever

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