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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · spring · bank · perch · cold · face · field · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — a subject
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — farmland
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cold — not warm
  15. perch — the fish
  16. field — for sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spring — of water
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stem — to come from

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