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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · scale · wound · season · chest · pop · plane · can

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. plane — a tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chest — a box
  11. pop — music
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pop — soda
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. scale — for weighing

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