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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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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 · cue · wave · snap · date · craft · spring · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a hint
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. date — the fruit
  5. face — to confront
  6. cue — for pool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cue — a signal
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. craft — boats
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. field — for sport
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — farmland
  21. craft — a skill
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. craft — a handicraft

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