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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: face · mark · fine · dip · root · spring · cell · fork

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. spring — of water
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fork — in a road
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cell — in biology
  13. face — to point toward
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — the season
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. face — to confront

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