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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: firm · fan · field · bear · dip · bass · content · face

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. firm — steady
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. field — farmland
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. face — to point toward
  15. firm — decided
  16. field — for sport
  17. firm — a company
  18. face — to confront
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bass — low music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. field — a subject
  24. fan — a supporter

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