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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. fork — in a road
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spring — of water
  7. key — in music
  8. kid — child
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. can — a tin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. key — for a lock

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