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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: clip · bore · field · ruler · perch · fine · fall · face

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. clip — a video
  3. face — to confront
  4. field — farmland
  5. bore — to drill
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — a subject
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. face — to point toward
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fall — the season
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — to tire
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fall — to drop

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