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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: face · hand · bank · scale · fine · fork · lean · bulb

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — high quality
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bank — for money
  7. face — part of the head
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. face — to confront
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fork — in a road
  18. scale — in music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bank — for money
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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