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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.

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 · spell · pass · field · bark · game · toast · wound

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — a match
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. face — to point toward
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. game — wild animals
  8. field — a subject
  9. toast — bread
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. spell — magic
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — for sport
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pass — a permit
  23. spell — a short time
  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