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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: scale · net · spring · season · rest · wake · face · cue

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wake — a trail
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. season — in sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spring — the season
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cue — a signal
  15. spring — of water
  16. cue — for pool
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. scale — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — of the year
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. net — in sport

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