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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. lean — thin
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — to point toward
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — of water
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stand — to bear
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — the season
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lean — to bend
  21. face — to confront
  22. bulb — for light
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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