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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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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: fine · cold · face · ground · branch · fork · deal · bore

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fine — all right
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bore — to tire
  5. face — to confront
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bore — to drill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. ground — the earth
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. branch — a division
  20. ground — a position
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ground — crushed

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