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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. face — part of the head
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fall — the season
  16. ball — a dance
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to confront
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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