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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. face — to confront
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fork — in a road
  8. scale — size or range
  9. face — to point toward
  10. season — of the year
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. drill — the tool
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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