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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 116 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: mark · cap · face · bat · tube · field · scale · plane

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cap — a lid
  8. tube — a container
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. scale — in music
  13. mark — a trace
  14. scale — size or range
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — farmland
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tube — the underground
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. face — to confront
  24. mark — a grade

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