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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: lean · foot · face · field · bowl · current · can · coach

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. can — to be able to
  4. current — happening now
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. field — for sport
  7. lean — thin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — a tin
  10. current — electric
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. face — part of the head
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to confront
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. face — to point toward
  20. field — a subject
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — farmland
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — of water

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