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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: bat · scale · ground · face · lean · rush · roll · spring

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. face — to confront
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — of water
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. roll — a cake
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. roll — a list
  10. spring — the season
  11. lean — to bend
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. scale — in music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — thin
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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