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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 120 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: ball · lash · plane · march · face · leaves · fine · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fine — high quality
  4. march — music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. field — for sport
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. face — to confront
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — farmland
  20. face — to point toward
  21. march — the month
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fine — all right

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