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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: saw · root · sharp · face · spring · scale · wax · bound

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. scale — size or range
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — a coil
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. spring — the season
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — tied together
  18. face — part of the head
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. root — of a word
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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