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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 120 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: drill · net · cabinet · temple · face · field · nail · tube

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. net — for catching
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — in sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — farmland
  15. face — part of the head
  16. net — after costs
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tube — the underground
  19. drill — the tool
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tube — a container
  23. drill — army training
  24. cabinet — ministers

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