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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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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: ground · file · present · foot · face · wave · bear · land

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. present — there
  3. land — to come down
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a tool
  6. land — ground
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ground — crushed
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. face — to confront
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. land — a country
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. file — a line of people
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. ground — a position

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