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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bass — the fish
  6. face — part of the head
  7. field — farmland
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — a subject
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spell — letters
  13. field — for sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. face — to confront
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. spell — magic
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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