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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: trunk · field · face · suit · wind · ball · cabinet · pop

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. suit — in cards
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. suit — to fit
  11. field — farmland
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — for sport
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — to confront
  20. field — a subject
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pop — soda
  24. suit — clothes

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