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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: pop · mark · bore · nail · field · face · mug · capital

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bore — to drill
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mark — a grade
  9. capital — money
  10. face — to confront
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pop — music
  15. mug — a cup
  16. field — a subject
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mug — a face
  21. pop — soda
  22. face — to point toward
  23. capital — a city
  24. field — for sport

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