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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 120 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: mouse · trunk · firm · fall · last · scale · face · race

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. firm — decided
  3. scale — in music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to confront
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — the arms race
  12. last — to go on
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fall — the season
  15. last — final
  16. firm — a company
  17. race — a contest
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. firm — steady
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mouse — the animal

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