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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · ball · face · pound · capital · craft · trunk · field

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a dance
  3. craft — boats
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — a subject
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ball — a great time
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. face — to point toward
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. capital — money
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — for sport
  19. face — to confront
  20. capital — a city
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. craft — a skill
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pound — for dogs

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