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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: calf · wake · temple · file · bulb · face · lean · field

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a line of people
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a document
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lean — thin
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — for sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bulb — for light
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. file — a tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wake — a trail
  24. field — a subject

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