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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · bark · face · press · fork · wound

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. face — to confront
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. press — to push
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spell — a short time
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wound — past of 'wind'

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