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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 116 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: field · face · bank · bore · drill · rule · bass · band

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bass — the fish
  3. drill — a practice
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — for sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bass — low music
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. rule — government
  14. face — to confront
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bank — of a river
  17. field — farmland
  18. rule — a law
  19. face — to point toward
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bore — to drill
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. field — a subject

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