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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 116 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: file · bark · face · fork · chair · tear · pass · squash

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. face — to point toward
  7. file — a tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to confront
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. squash — to crush

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