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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: calf · bound · face · wake · hide · toast · mine · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. face — to confront
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. toast — bread
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. field — farmland
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — the most admired

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