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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 120 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: cue · field · branch · last · pop · mate · face · coach

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pop — to visit
  5. last — final
  6. mate — a friend
  7. field — farmland
  8. branch — a division
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — soda
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. cue — a hint
  14. field — a subject
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cue — a signal
  17. last — to go on
  18. pop — music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — for sport
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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