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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 116 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: saw · deal · face · bark · field · nail · perch · branch

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. deal — to handle
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. branch — a division
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. bark — to shout
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. field — farmland
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. perch — the fish

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