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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: stand · deal · face · hide · field · rest · swing · bark

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — music
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — a break
  7. field — a subject
  8. face — part of the head
  9. swing — to play on
  10. field — for sport
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bark — to shout
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — to handle
  19. face — to confront
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stand — to bear

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