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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 · face · rash · bass · race · current · spell · spring

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. bass — the fish
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — to confront
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spell — letters
  11. face — part of the head
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rash — a series
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — happening now
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — low music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. scale — in music
  20. current — electric
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spell — a short time

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