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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: racket · pound · band · face · dip · field · cue · stem

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pound — a weight
  3. band — a music group
  4. cue — a signal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. face — to confront
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. face — part of the head
  13. field — a subject
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. field — farmland
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — for sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cue — a hint
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stem — to come from

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