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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · lean · prune · bore · racket · ball · file · cold

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cold — not warm
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bore — to drill
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cold — an illness
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. bore — to tire
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lean — to bend
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. file — a line of people
  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