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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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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 · ruler · snap · pitcher · bank · field · rest · land

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bank — for money
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. land — to come down
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — farmland
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — a subject
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — a break
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — ground
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to point toward
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. face — to confront
  21. land — a country
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bank — of a river

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