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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 116 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: scale · ground · press · spring · vault · rock · mark · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. vault — a safe
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — the earth
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. ground — a position
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spring — a coil
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — of water
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. press — to push
  22. mark — a trace
  23. spring — the season
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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