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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 · present · fan · lie · track · stand · prune · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lie — to recline
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — a gift
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. track — a path
  8. stand — to bear
  9. field — farmland
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. face — part of the head
  12. present — there
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. track — a song
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. face — to confront
  21. present — the time now
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. field — for sport

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