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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 · field · sharp · rash · face · game · foot · tube

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — a subject
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — to confront
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. game — wild animals
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. game — a match
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. field — for sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. sharp — clever
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. face — part of the head
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. field — farmland

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