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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: bowl · face · net · tear · foot · fine · field · stem

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stem — to come from
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fine — all right
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. field — farmland
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — for catching
  24. foot — a measure

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