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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: wake · ruler · bass · face · cap · mine · scale · rest

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rest — a break
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wake — a trail
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — a lid
  14. scale — in music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cap — a hat
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rest — what's left

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