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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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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: net · trunk · fork · stick · bank · face · wave · rule

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. face — to confront
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rule — a law
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. net — after costs
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rule — government
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — for catching
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bank — for money
  22. fork — in a road
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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