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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: rule · lash · jam · bowl · face · wound · field · drill

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. field — farmland
  6. face — to confront
  7. drill — the tool
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rule — a law
  11. field — a subject
  12. face — part of the head
  13. field — for sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wound — an injury
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rule — government
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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