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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: fall · season · safe · board · clip · field · land · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. clip — to cut
  3. season — in sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. face — part of the head
  9. board — to get on
  10. clip — a video
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fall — the season
  14. season — of the year
  15. field — for sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to confront
  19. clip — for paper
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — farmland
  22. land — ground
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. board — a committee

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