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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: face · perch · deal · date · charge · wound · capital · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — in control
  6. date — the fruit
  7. capital — a city
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — part of the head
  15. charge — electricity
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. charge — a price
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fork — to eat with

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