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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: mine · ground · field · face · pass · bark · object · mouse

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. mine — for digging
  12. face — to confront
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. field — a subject
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. object — a thing
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ground — a position
  22. pass — a permit
  23. field — farmland
  24. pass — to spend time

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