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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fork — in a road
  5. board — a committee
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. face — to confront
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. face — part of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. board — to get on
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — a tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stock — shares

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