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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 120 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 · ball · field · bulb · prune · leaves · cabinet · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — for sport
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ball — a great time
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bulb — for light
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. field — farmland
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — to trim
  22. face — part of the head
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bulb — of a plant

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