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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.

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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: perch · face · hand · fork · march · rest · spring · stick

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — the fish
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — in a road
  14. march — music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. face — to confront
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rest — a break

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