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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · squash · spring · perch · mark · pitch · fork · face

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitch — completely
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. face — to confront
  12. fork — in a road
  13. face — part of the head
  14. spring — a coil
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mark — a grade
  20. spring — the season
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. face — to point toward

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