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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · dip · racket · cell · patient · hide · face · spring

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. scale — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. face — to confront
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. scale — size or range
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. dip — to sink

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