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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 116 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: rash · field · face · mate · hand · deal · trunk · calf

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. face — to confront
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — a series
  20. deal — to handle
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. hand — in cards
  23. face — part of the head
  24. trunk — of a tree

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