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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: drill · bound · field · branch · wound · face · ground · fan

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. field — for sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ground — the earth
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — a division
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bound — certain
  19. field — farmland
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — army training
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. fan — a supporter

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