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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: field · lie · snap · tube · calf · face · cabinet · trunk

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tube — the underground
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. face — to confront
  10. field — farmland
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. face — part of the head
  14. tube — a container
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. calf — a young animal

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