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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: fine · ball · field · face · tube · perch · drill · cabinet

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — a subject
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. face — to confront
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. face — part of the head
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. drill — the tool

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