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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 · bank · bay · hand · spell · rule · face · swing

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — help
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rule — government
  6. face — to point toward
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to confront
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rule — a law
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spell — magic
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. swing — music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. scale — in music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bank — for money

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