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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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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: fork · wound · clip · ground · present · rest · face · bank

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — for paper
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rest — a break
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to confront
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — an injury
  14. present — the time now
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. ground — a position
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. bank — for money
  21. rest — what's left
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — to cut

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