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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: coach · face · field · mug · lash · bowl · saw · stem

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — a subject
  4. face — part of the head
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — farmland
  7. mug — a cup
  8. field — for sport
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mug — a face
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. face — to point toward
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to confront
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bowl — a football final

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