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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: bore · scale · pass · fall · tear · face · current · hand

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — help
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tear — to rip
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bore — to drill
  11. face — to confront
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. current — happening now
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — the season
  19. scale — in music
  20. current — of water
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fall — to drop
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. current — electric

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