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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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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: fork · face · leaves · key · tear · prune · dip · can

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. face — part of the head
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fork — in a road
  10. key — in music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. prune — to trim
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. key — for a lock
  24. can — a tin

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