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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.

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: stand · trunk · scale · clip · foot · current · file · wind

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. foot — a measure
  4. scale — size or range
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stand — to bear
  11. clip — for paper
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — a video
  15. current — happening now
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. file — a document
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. current — electric
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. clip — to cut
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — in music

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