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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 · jam · cell · stock · fork · craft · prune · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fork — in a road
  3. craft — boats
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. craft — a skill
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stock — shares
  14. game — a match
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. jam — in traffic

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