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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: object · spring · present · pit · net · field · face · wound

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. object — an aim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — of water
  5. face — to confront
  6. object — to protest
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. face — to point toward
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. field — for sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. field — farmland
  17. pit — in a race
  18. object — a thing
  19. field — a subject
  20. pit — a hole
  21. present — there
  22. spring — the season
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wound — an injury

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