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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: file · saw · last · scale · ball · pit · lean · stem

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pit — a hole
  6. file — a line of people
  7. scale — in music
  8. last — finally
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. file — a document
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pit — in a race
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lean — thin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — of a plant
  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