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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: hide · field · calf · vault · root · land · pit · face

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — a subject
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. field — for sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. face — to confront
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pit — a hole
  13. field — farmland
  14. face — to point toward
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pit — in a race
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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