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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 116 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: saw · wind · dip · wake · staff · fork · face · charge

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fork — in a road
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — in control
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wake — a trail
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. staff — employees
  18. charge — electricity
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. face — part of the head

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