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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · lean · wind · mine · chip · scale · field · face

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — thin
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. field — a subject
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. face — to point toward
  15. scale — in music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mug — to rob
  19. scale — size or range
  20. face — to confront
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. field — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chip — to eat

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