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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: perch · leaves · spell · toast · fork · row · bay · face

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spell — letters
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. face — to confront
  5. spell — magic
  6. toast — bread
  7. face — part of the head
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. perch — the fish
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. row — a line
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fork — in a road
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. perch — for a bird

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