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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: band · rock · straw · hand · scale · deal · field · face

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. scale — in music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. deal — to handle
  13. face — to point toward
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. band — a ring
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. field — a subject
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — size or range
  24. face — to confront

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