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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 · cabinet · press · mouse · wound · rash · pound · face

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. scale — in music
  20. face — to confront
  21. rash — a series
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. scale — for weighing

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