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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: hand · bear · field · key · land · mouse · lean · face

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. key — in music
  6. field — for sport
  7. lean — to bend
  8. face — part of the head
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. lean — thin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. hand — help
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. land — to come down
  21. bear — the animal
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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