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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: tube · face · craft · drill · field · wake · board · chip

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. board — a committee
  3. field — farmland
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to point toward
  6. field — a subject
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. craft — boats
  17. chip — for betting
  18. tube — a container
  19. craft — a skill
  20. tube — the underground
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tube — in a tire

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