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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.

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: file · cell · ground · scale · lie · trunk · bound · ball

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cell — a phone
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bound — certain
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. file — a line of people
  12. scale — in music
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bound — obliged
  16. ball — a dance
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cell — in biology
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lie — to recline
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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