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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: tear · foot · mouse · press · fork · face · stick · fan

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — to push
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fork — in a road
  24. tear — from crying

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