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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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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: snap · rock · fine · face · fork · bulb · cap · field

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cap — a lid
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. face — to confront
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — a hat
  9. face — part of the head
  10. field — a subject
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — for sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rock — a stone
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rock — music

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