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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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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: lash · fork · present · chest · cell · mug · bank · face

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. present — there
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mug — a face
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bank — of a river
  11. face — to confront
  12. present — a gift
  13. face — to point toward
  14. present — the time now
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bank — for money
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chest — a box
  24. bank — for money

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