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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. foot — a measure
  3. face — to confront
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — farmland
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. face — to point toward
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bass — low music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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