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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · staff · scale · season · drill · cell · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — part of the head
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. staff — employees
  9. drill — army training
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. season — of the year
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. staff — employees
  17. drill — the tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. season — in sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cell — in biology
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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