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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spell · fork · bear · present · drill · season · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. field — farmland
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. spell — letters
  5. present — a gift
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. drill — the tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. season — in sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. season — of the year
  17. drill — army training
  18. spell — magic
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bear — 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