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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: mug · land · bore · bass · face · last · scale · trunk

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. land — to come down
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mug — to rob
  12. land — ground
  13. last — to go on
  14. scale — in music
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mug — a face
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mug — a cup
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bass — low music
  22. last — final
  23. land — a country
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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