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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 116 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 · file · net · trunk · kid · lash · face · stand

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. scale — size or range
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kid — to tease
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. scale — in music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. kid — child
  20. file — a tool
  21. stand — to bear
  22. file — a document
  23. face — to confront
  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