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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: row · content · rash · face · board · field · patient · fan

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — to paddle
  6. field — for sport
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. face — to confront
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — hasty
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. row — a line
  17. board — a committee
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — happy
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — to get on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — part of the head
  24. content — the amount

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