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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: scale · game · nail · mouse · face · prune · current · race

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. current — of water
  3. game — wild animals
  4. current — happening now
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. race — humankind
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. scale — size or range
  12. race — a contest
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. face — to confront
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. face — part of the head
  22. scale — in music
  23. current — electric
  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