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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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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: face · pit · scale · hide · bark · spring · race · wind

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bark — to shout
  6. face — to confront
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — to point toward
  13. scale — in music
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. race — humankind
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. race — a contest
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — the season
  24. bark — of a tree

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