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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. date — the fruit
  6. branch — a division
  7. pound — a weight
  8. object — to protest
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. toast — bread
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. object — an aim
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. object — a thing
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — for dogs

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