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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: fine · field · bark · ground · wake · face · lean · club

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ground — crushed
  3. field — a subject
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — for sport
  6. club — a group
  7. field — farmland
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. face — to confront
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. face — to point toward
  15. club — for golf
  16. fine — high quality
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — all right
  21. ground — a position
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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