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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: face · fork · can · chest · arm · wind · scale · charge

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chest — a box
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fork — in a road
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. scale — in music
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. face — part of the head
  20. charge — in control
  21. can — to be able to
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. scale — size or range
  24. face — to confront

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