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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 · field · fine · racket · wax · track · current · snap

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. current — electric
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — happening now
  7. wax — to grow
  8. track — to keep track
  9. field — a subject
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fine — all right
  12. track — a song
  13. field — farmland
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. field — for sport
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. track — a path
  22. snap — to click
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. current — of water

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