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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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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: mark · leaves · field · tear · cap · deal · rash · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rash — hasty
  4. face — to point toward
  5. field — for sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. field — a subject
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. deal — to handle
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. face — part of the head
  17. field — farmland
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mark — a grade
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rash — a series

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