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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: lie · temple · bear · cap · field · present · face · craft

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bear — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cap — a hat
  10. present — the time now
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — of ice
  13. face — to point toward
  14. field — for sport
  15. craft — boats
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lie — to recline
  18. field — a subject
  19. bear — the animal
  20. face — to confront
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. present — there
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. field — farmland

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