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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 · face · spring · band · pitcher · suit · calf · bass

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. suit — clothes
  3. band — a music group
  4. bass — low music
  5. scale — in music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — of water
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. suit — in cards
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spring — a coil
  20. suit — to fit
  21. band — a ring
  22. face — to point toward
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. scale — size or range

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