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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.

Make a worksheet

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: face · wave · arm · hand · object · file · hide · field

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. field — a subject
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — farmland
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — part of the head
  14. file — a tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. field — for sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. face — to confront
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. hide — to keep secret

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