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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: club · stem · scale · face · band · tear · ball · rest

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — for golf
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tear — from crying
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. scale — in music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. band — a music group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ball — a dance
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tear — to rip
  23. band — a ring
  24. rest — a break

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