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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: scale · fall · mark · branch · field · hand · face · arm

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mark — a trace
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. face — to point toward
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — to confront
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. branch — a division
  12. hand — in cards
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. face — part of the head
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — for sport
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — the season
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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