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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 · chair · bass · scale · face · season · ground · trunk

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — in sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. ground — a position
  15. scale — in music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — the season
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bass — the fish
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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