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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: wave · fan · face · field · current · game · hide · patient

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. field — a subject
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — happening now
  14. game — a match
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. game — wild animals
  18. field — farmland
  19. current — electric
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. current — of water
  24. wave — with your hand

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