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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fine — all right
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — in music
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fork — in a road
  20. key — for a lock
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bank — of a river
  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