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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: track · land · face · field · rock · drill · fine · tear

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. track — a path
  5. tear — to rip
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. land — a country
  9. field — a subject
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — ground
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rock — a stone
  14. track — a song
  15. fine — all right
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — music
  18. land — to come down
  19. track — to keep track
  20. face — to confront
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rock — to move gently

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