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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.

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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: field · firm · face · bound · band · tube · kid · fan

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. field — a subject
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — part of the head
  7. band — a ring
  8. bound — tied together
  9. firm — steady
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. face — to confront
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — certain
  14. tube — the underground
  15. firm — decided
  16. tube — a container
  17. firm — a company
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — child
  23. band — a rubber band
  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