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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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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 · hide · face · pound · board · rest · lash · band

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rest — a break
  3. band — a ring
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. face — part of the head
  7. band — a music group
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. field — a subject
  13. face — to point toward
  14. board — to get on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. face — to confront
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — for sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — farmland
  24. hide — animal skin

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