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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: tear · face · ground · lash · plane · coach · fork · stand

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stand — to bear
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tear — to rip
  16. face — to confront
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ground — a position
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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