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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: file · craft · lean · fork · roll · mouse · prune · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. file — a line of people
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — thin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. roll — a list
  10. face — part of the head
  11. file — a document
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — boats
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fork — in a road

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