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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: scale · press · kid · lash · wound · craft · mark · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — in music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mark — a trace
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. press — newspapers
  15. scale — size or range
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mark — a grade
  18. face — part of the head
  19. kid — child
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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