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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: bore · season · land · face · rash · scale · suit · cap

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. season — of the year
  3. rash — hasty
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bore — to drill
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. scale — in music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bore — to tire
  14. land — ground
  15. rash — a series
  16. suit — to fit
  17. face — to confront
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. land — to come down
  20. season — in sport
  21. land — a country
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cap — a lid

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