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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: stock · bark · march · saw · field · face · mouse · perch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. field — for sport
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. march — the month
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — shares
  14. march — music
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. face — to confront
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stock — goods
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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