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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: squash · bulb · perch · face · fork · net · pass · tear

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — to confront
  4. squash — the sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tear — to rip
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — a permit
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — to crush
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — in sport
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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