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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
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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: shower · field · face · pit · foot · mug · spell · spring

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spell — letters
  4. pit — in a race
  5. field — for sport
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spring — the season
  14. face — part of the head
  15. field — a subject
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. shower — rain
  18. field — farmland
  19. mug — a face
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — to confront
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. mug — a cup

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