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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. face — to point toward
  5. present — there
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bass — low music
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pound — a weight
  10. face — to confront
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. present — a gift
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cue — a hint
  24. present — the time now

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