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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: can · face · pop · branch · pitcher · field · drill · hand

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. drill — army training
  3. hand — help
  4. field — farmland
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — a practice
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — a division
  14. face — to point toward
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. face — to confront
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pop — music
  24. can — a tin

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