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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.

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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: face · key · deal · wake · spring · field · lean · mate

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — for sport
  3. spring — the season
  4. lean — thin
  5. field — a subject
  6. face — to confront
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — to breed
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. field — farmland
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — a coil
  18. face — to point toward
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mate — a friend
  22. face — part of the head
  23. key — in music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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