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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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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: ruler · mark · wind · field · trunk · face · cap · coach

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — a subject
  8. cap — a hat
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mark — a grade
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — for sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cap — a lid

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