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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: rest · branch · fine · lean · field · wound · face · drill

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — to bend
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — army training
  10. face — to confront
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rest — a break
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fine — high quality
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — part of the head
  21. field — for sport
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. face — to point toward

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