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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 116 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's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. squash — to crush
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. band — a ring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. face — to confront
  13. wake — a trail
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. band — a music group
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fork — in a road
  24. band — a rubber band

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