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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. field — a subject
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — to recline
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fall — the season
  8. field — farmland
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — in music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — the most important part
  13. drill — army training
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — a trail
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — a practice
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lie — an untruth

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