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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: pop · ball · wave · field · suit · land · face · bear

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to confront
  11. pop — soda
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. field — for sport
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pop — music
  18. land — a country
  19. ball — a great time
  20. land — ground
  21. face — part of the head
  22. field — a subject
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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