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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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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: bass · rule · wind · fork · scale · bulb · face · squash

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rule — government
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rule — a law
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — to crush
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — in a road
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bass — the fish
  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