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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 124 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: face · bark · roll · row · fork · date

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. 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. bark — to shout
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. face — to point toward
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. row — a line
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — part of the head
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. 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