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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 · content · bowl · craft · pitch · wax · face · lie

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. field — farmland
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. content — happy
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wax — to grow
  16. field — for sport
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. face — part of the head
  19. content — the amount
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. face — to point toward
  23. craft — boats
  24. wax — in the ear

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