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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: face · rush · wake · fan · degree · perch · field · bank

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wake — a trail
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. field — for sport
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. face — to confront
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — a subject
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — from a university
  18. field — farmland
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bank — of a river
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bank — for money
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wake — before a funeral

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