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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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: field · patient · face · drill · bass · tear · coach · squash

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. drill — army training
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — part of the head
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bass — the fish
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — farmland
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — the sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. face — to confront
  24. tear — to rip

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