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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: drill · face · field · pitcher · rock · clip · coach · pound

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — army training
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — a video
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. drill — the tool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rock — music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to confront
  20. field — for sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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