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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: face · cue · row · field · bound · nail · craft · bulb

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to point toward
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — part of the head
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cue — a hint
  15. face — to confront
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. row — to paddle
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — for sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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