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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: spell · scale · trunk · face · wound · fine · pitcher · row

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. row — to paddle
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to confront
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — all right
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. spell — letters
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — a short time
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — a line
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — high quality
  18. spell — magic
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. scale — in music
  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