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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: lean · key · fall · spell · ruler · field · face · wound

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. key — in music
  3. field — for sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. fall — to drop
  16. field — a subject
  17. lean — thin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lean — to bend
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to confront

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