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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: face · spell · prune · scale · tear · current · cabinet · shower

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. current — of water
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — rain
  10. face — to point toward
  11. current — happening now
  12. shower — to wash
  13. scale — in music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tear — to rip
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. tear — from crying
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — to trim

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