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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: mine · scale · row · dip · hand · bulb · arm · file

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. row — a line
  3. file — a tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. row — to paddle
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mine — for digging
  15. file — a document
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hand — in cards
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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