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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · face · arm · lash · board · court · hand · stem

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. board — a committee
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. court — for sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. field — farmland
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hand — help
  18. field — for sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. face — to point toward
  24. arm — a part of something

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