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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: bass · wake · face · drill · kick · cell · scale · stem

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kick — in football
  7. face — to confront
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bass — low music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. scale — in music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bass — the fish
  18. drill — army training
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wake — before a funeral

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