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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. kid — child
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bank — for money
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. face — to confront

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