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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: face · foot · stick · field · cue · patient · tube · rest

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — the underground
  4. field — a subject
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. field — farmland
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. cue — a hint
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cue — a signal
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. field — for sport
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cue — for pool
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tube — a container
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — what's left
  24. patient — a sick person

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