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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: game · face · rock · nail · tube · staff

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. 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. game — wild animals
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tube — a container
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. game — a match
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. staff — employees
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. staff — employees
  18. 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