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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · field · chair · drill · mug · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — farmland
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. chair — a leader
  7. face — part of the head
  8. drill — the tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. face — to confront
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — army training
  17. mug — a face
  18. face — to point toward

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