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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: hand · rule · leaves · scale · saw · face · perch · net

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — after costs
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rule — a law
  5. perch — the fish
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. scale — size or range
  8. face — part of the head
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. saw — the tool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. scale — in music
  20. rule — government
  21. net — for catching
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. face — to point toward

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