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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: field · ruler · pitcher · hand · bulb · face · land · bark

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — ground
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. face — to confront
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — a subject
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. field — farmland
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hand — help

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