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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: face · prune · staff · pitcher · race · scale · bear · dip

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. face — part of the head
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. scale — size or range
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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