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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: fall · scale · face · row · dip · fan · cabinet · cell

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. face — to point toward
  3. row — to paddle
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fall — to drop
  6. face — to confront
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cell — a phone
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. scale — in music
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fall — the season
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fall — to drop

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