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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: field · mine · wave · key · wake · face · rule · saw

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. face — to confront
  12. key — the most important part
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mine — for digging
  18. key — in music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. field — a subject
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — an explosive

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