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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
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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: spring · wind · rule · hide · scale · land · face · charge

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — in music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. scale — size or range
  7. land — ground
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spring — of water
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — government
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — a law
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. face — to point toward
  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