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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: pitcher · face · bay · march · prune · nail · hand · scale

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. face — to point toward
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — to trim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. scale — in music
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to confront
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. hand — part of the body

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