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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — to shout
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — a tin
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. field — for sport

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