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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 116 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: file · scale · ball · cell · trunk · saw

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. ball — a dance
  4. file — a document
  5. cell — a phone
  6. scale — in music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ball — a great time
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — size or range
  12. file — a tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ball — a round shape

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