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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: pass · mate · spring · face · tear · scale · key · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. mate — a partner
  6. scale — in music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — in music
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mate — a friend
  15. spring — the season
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. tear — to rip
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — of water
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. face — part of the head

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