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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 116 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 · row · field · can · staff · bear · fall · mug

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. row — to paddle
  3. staff — employees
  4. bear — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mug — to rob
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — farmland
  11. can — a tin
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mug — a face
  14. field — a subject
  15. face — to confront
  16. row — a line
  17. can — to be able to
  18. staff — employees
  19. fall — to drop
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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