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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: mouse · calf · object · season · face · scale · stem · board

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. season — in sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. season — of the year
  7. face — to point toward
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stem — to come from
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. board — a committee
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. object — an aim
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. face — to confront
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. object — a thing
  20. face — part of the head
  21. scale — in music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. board — a flat piece

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