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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 120 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: drill · spring · face · land · wake · bowl · foot · pitch

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. drill — army training
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. land — a country
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. drill — a practice
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. land — to come down
  14. spring — a coil
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. land — ground
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spring — the season

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