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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: row · face · hand · chip · deal · bark · fork · fan

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. row — a line
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. face — to confront
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hand — help
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chip — for betting

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