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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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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. can — a tin
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to confront
  16. branch — a division
  17. fork — in a road
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. field — farmland
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — a subject

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