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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 · straw · ground · drill · arm · stock · face · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. scale — in music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ground — a position
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. ground — the earth
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stock — shares
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — crushed
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. scale — size or range
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. drill — army training

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