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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: dip · field · wave · bear · bat · capital · face · spell

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spell — magic
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. capital — money
  15. face — to confront
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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