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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 120 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 · root · face · bound · staff · cabinet · mouse · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. root — the cause
  6. face — to point toward
  7. root — of a word
  8. scale — in music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. root — of a plant
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. face — to confront
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. scale — size or range

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