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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · land · saw · face · pound · date · lie · arm

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — a country
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pound — a weight
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — to confront
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. scale — in music
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. face — part of the head
  20. date — the fruit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. face — to point toward
  24. saw — the tool

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