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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: can · field · stick · face · swing · mark · fall · pop

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — the season
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. swing — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — a tin
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — to confront
  13. swing — to play on
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — a grade
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — to be able to
  23. face — part of the head
  24. field — farmland

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