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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: shower · face · cell · last · foot · dip · fork · mouse

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. foot — a measure
  6. face — to confront
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. last — to go on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. last — finally
  15. shower — rain
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. last — final
  24. dip — a sauce

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