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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · scale · branch · face · fan · bowl · ruler · pop

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. face — to confront
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — size or range
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — a division
  24. bowl — a dish

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