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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: field · plane · last · tear · stand · bark · face · key

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. face — to confront
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. field — farmland
  6. key — in music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stand — to bear
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tear — to rip
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tear — from crying
  17. last — to go on
  18. field — a subject
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bark — to shout
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. field — for sport
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. face — part of the head

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