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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · face · shower · trunk · coach · spell · mark · fork

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mark — a grade
  3. shower — to wash
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fork — in a road
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — rain
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. face — to confront
  16. present — a gift
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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