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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: fork · coach · snap · plane · cap · bound · face · content

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. plane — a tool
  6. content — the amount
  7. face — to confront
  8. content — happy
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cap — of ice
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to point toward
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bound — tied together

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