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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: fork · face · file · saw · sharp · cabinet · wave · bear

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — to confront
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fork — in a road
  13. file — a tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — to point toward
  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