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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: fall · hand · fine · land · face · scale · calf · jam

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. hand — help
  4. face — to confront
  5. fine — all right
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. scale — in music
  12. land — a country
  13. fall — the season
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — to come down
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fine — high quality
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fall — to drop
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. land — ground
  24. scale — for weighing

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