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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: saw · ground · date · stick · face · wind · field · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. ground — a position
  3. date — the fruit
  4. ground — the earth
  5. field — farmland
  6. ground — crushed
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to confront
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. field — a subject
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wind — to turn a key

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