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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: pitcher · hide · arm · face · land · field · bank · spring

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. land — a country
  4. spring — the season
  5. bank — of a river
  6. field — farmland
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to confront
  11. bank — for money
  12. field — a subject
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. land — to come down
  15. spring — of water
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — for sport
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitcher — a jug

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