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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: wake · trunk · band · coach · bowl · dip · face · field

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. face — to point toward
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. field — farmland
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wake — a trail

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