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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: land · scale · rest · mine · suit · wave · fall · key

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rest — what's left
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. scale — size or range
  8. suit — in cards
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — a break
  12. key — for a lock
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fall — to drop
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — the season
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. key — in music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — in music

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