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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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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: sharp · wound · fork · dip · face · land · bank · nail

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — part of the head
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — to come down
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — to sink
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — with an edge

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