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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: deal · wake · spring · ruler · face · mate · capital · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. deal — to handle
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spring — of water
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. capital — money
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. capital — a city
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mate — a partner

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