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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: bore · foot · bank · leaves · field · face · ground · snap

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bank — for money
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bank — for money
  8. face — to confront
  9. field — a subject
  10. snap — to click
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. face — to point toward
  17. field — for sport
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bore — to tire
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. field — farmland
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bore — to drill

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