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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spring — of water
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — to confront
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fine — high quality
  11. field — farmland
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lie — to recline
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — for sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. drill — a practice
  23. field — a subject
  24. face — part of the head

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