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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: capital · ruler · branch · face · race · wound · bound · field

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. field — for sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. race — humankind
  8. capital — money
  9. field — a subject
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. branch — a division
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. race — a contest
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. capital — a city
  24. face — to point toward

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