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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 · field · ground · leaves · safe · jam · cell · wind

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. field — for sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. ground — a position
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — farmland
  10. ground — crushed
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. face — to point toward
  20. field — a subject
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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