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

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. field — a subject
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. capital — money
  18. field — farmland
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. field — for sport
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. capital — a city

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