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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: ruler · field · racket · face · bound · bass · race · lean

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to point toward
  3. field — for sport
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. race — the arms race
  11. face — part of the head
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bound — certain
  14. bass — low music
  15. face — to confront
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — tied together
  18. race — a contest
  19. lean — thin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. race — humankind
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ruler — for measuring

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