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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 · kid · season · nail · field · stem · plane · bass

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. season — of the year
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — in sport
  15. kid — child
  16. face — to confront
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bass — low music
  19. field — for sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. face — part of the head
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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