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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: scale · snap · coach · rest · root · face · file · can

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. root — the cause
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — to be able to
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rest — what's left
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. scale — in music
  10. file — a document
  11. root — of a word
  12. file — a tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rest — a break
  15. root — of a plant
  16. scale — size or range
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. can — a tin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. snap — to click

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