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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: field · face · deal · saw · tube · bass · vault · snap

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. field — for sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. field — farmland
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. deal — to handle
  10. vault — a safe
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. field — a subject
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. snap — to click
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tube — in a tire

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