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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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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 · snap · scale · ball · root · wind · face · foot

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — in music
  4. face — to confront
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. root — of a plant
  7. foot — a measure
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. snap — to click
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. root — the cause
  18. ball — a dance
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — size or range
  24. root — of a word

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