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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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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: kid · field · bank · face · track · calf · wind · safe

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to confront
  3. kid — child
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bank — for money
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. field — farmland
  19. kid — to tease
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. face — part of the head
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. field — for sport

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