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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pit — a hole
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. band — a ring
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. can — to be able to
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — in a road
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bark — to shout
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. face — to confront

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