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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. shower — to wash
  12. saw — the tool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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