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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 · scale · saw · hide · dip · press · trunk · cabinet

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. press — to push
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a line of people
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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