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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: race · hand · face · cell · tube · wound · staff · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — in cards
  4. scale — in music
  5. hand — help
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. tube — a container
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — a contest
  18. face — to point toward
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. race — humankind
  24. cell — a phone

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