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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: field · snap · arm · face · staff · can · net · wave

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. net — for catching
  6. field — farmland
  7. can — to be able to
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. net — in sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — after costs
  16. face — to confront
  17. can — a tin
  18. snap — to click
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. field — for sport
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. staff — employees
  24. face — part of the head

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