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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 120 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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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 · stick · face · cabinet · tube · fork · mate · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pound — a weight
  4. face — part of the head
  5. tube — a container
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. face — to confront
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fork — in a road
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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