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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: face · race · land · scale · cue · field · trunk · tube

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. face — to confront
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. land — a country
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — the underground
  15. land — ground
  16. cue — for pool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cue — a signal
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. field — a subject

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