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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: spell · nail · face · foot · stand · field · bat · plane

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — a short time
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — letters
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. field — for sport
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stand — to bear
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. plane — a tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spell — magic
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bat — the animal

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