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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: leaves · track · face · fork · bulb · band · wound · bass

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. track — a path
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the fish
  10. face — to confront
  11. band — a ring
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to point toward
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. track — a song
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a music group
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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