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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fork — in a road
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spell — magic
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. tube — a container
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rash — a series
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wake — a trail
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — in a tire

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