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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: pound · root · game · face · march · tube · bound · field

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bound — tied together
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — the cause
  7. march — the month
  8. field — a subject
  9. face — to point toward
  10. field — farmland
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. face — to confront
  14. root — of a word
  15. field — for sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. root — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bound — certain

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