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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: spring · lie · face · current · last · bay · field · chest

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — of water
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. last — to go on
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. current — happening now
  18. chest — of your body
  19. field — farmland
  20. chest — a box
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. face — part of the head

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