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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 · face · craft · spring · wound · lean · race

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. scale — in music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. craft — boats
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — of water
  8. race — humankind
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — to confront
  12. spring — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. lean — to bend
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lean — thin
  23. craft — a skill
  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