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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: saw · cabinet · shower · face · jam · field · wake · hand

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. field — a subject
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — rain
  12. wake — a trail
  13. hand — help
  14. face — to point toward
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — farmland
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. face — to confront
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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