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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: perch · cap · field · bank · land · face · swing · bore

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. field — a subject
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. swing — in golf
  5. land — to come down
  6. bore — to tire
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bank — for money
  9. face — to point toward
  10. swing — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — to play on
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to drill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. field — farmland
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — for sport
  24. face — to confront

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