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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: tube · scale · spell · chest · bulb · sharp · face · track

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. track — a song
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — letters
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chest — a box
  14. spell — magic
  15. chest — of your body
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — clever
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — in music
  24. tube — a container

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