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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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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: wake · lash · file · scale · degree · bore · face · net

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wake — a trail
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to confront
  14. net — for catching
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — an amount
  17. file — a tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. file — a document
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. file — a line of people

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