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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · season · plane · file · spring · cue · fine · can

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. face — part of the head
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — in sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. season — of the year
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — of water
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cue — for pool
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spring — a coil
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. file — a document
  20. cue — a signal
  21. face — to confront
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. face — to point toward
  24. file — a tool

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