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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 120 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: bass · cap · fork · perch · root · pound · face · rash

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rash — hasty
  5. perch — the fish
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — in a road
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a word
  17. rash — a series
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cap — a hat
  23. root — the cause
  24. face — to point toward

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