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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: key · face · season · nail · field · spring · arm · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. key — in music
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — for a lock
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. key — the most important part
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. face — part of the head
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — for sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. face — to confront
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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