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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
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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: last · saw · bass · shower · prune · fork · face · bowl

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. last — finally
  4. bass — low music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. last — to go on
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. last — final
  16. face — part of the head
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — rain
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bowl — a football final

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