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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: face · deal · prune · straw · bat · shower · field · scale

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. scale — size or range
  3. field — for sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. shower — rain
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — in music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. shower — to wash
  15. face — part of the head
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — a subject
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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