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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: land · field · face · rule · staff · fine · bass · rush

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. land — a country
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — high quality
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rule — a law
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. field — a subject
  16. bass — low music
  17. field — for sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. field — farmland
  20. fine — all right
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rush — hurry

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