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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: bound · field · coach · fork · foot · face · last · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — to go on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — finally
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — a subject
  15. last — final
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — certain
  18. bass — the fish
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. field — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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