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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: bark · fall · foot · fork · bass · face · clip · board

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. board — a committee
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fork — in a road
  11. clip — a video
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fall — the season
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. clip — to cut
  23. face — to confront
  24. foot — the bottom

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