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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: suit · face · lash · land · kid · temple · field · rock

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. kid — child
  2. land — to come down
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — a country
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. suit — to fit
  18. face — part of the head
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kid — to tease
  21. face — to confront
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. land — ground
  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