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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: wave · degree · pass · land · file · scale · pit · tear

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. file — a tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. degree — from a university
  13. file — a document
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. scale — size or range
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — ground
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. land — a country

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