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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: face · stick · vault · game · field · wave · temple · bound

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bound — tied together
  10. vault — a safe
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. field — for sport
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. face — to confront
  24. game — wild animals

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