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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 · cabinet · bark · deal · face · mug · lash · ground

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bark — to shout
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mug — a face
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — farmland
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. field — for sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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