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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: band · scale · face · suit · field · rush · nail · spring

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — to confront
  5. suit — clothes
  6. scale — in music
  7. suit — in cards
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rush — hurry
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. suit — to fit
  12. spring — the season
  13. field — a subject
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a music group
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. band — a ring
  20. spring — of water
  21. scale — size or range
  22. spring — a coil
  23. field — for sport
  24. face — to point toward

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