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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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468
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: wake · key · lash · tube · hand · foot · fork · face

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tube — a container
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. hand — in cards
  10. key — in music
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. key — for a lock
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fork — in a road
  22. key — the most important part
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fork — to eat with

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