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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: mug · ruler · face · spring · cue · field · nail · bound

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mug — a face
  7. cue — for pool
  8. face — to confront
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — to rob
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bound — certain
  15. mug — a cup
  16. face — to point toward
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — for sport
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spring — the season
  24. cue — a hint

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