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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: pound · last · bear · trunk · saw · safe · fork · face

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. last — to go on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. last — finally
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — to confront
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pound — a weight
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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