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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
468
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: charge · stock · scale · bass · spring · file · lie · mouse

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. bass — the fish
  3. charge — a price
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. charge — electricity
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lie — to recline
  12. scale — in music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stock — goods
  18. charge — in control
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stock — shares
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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