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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: jam · scale · stand · saw · game · lean · file · present

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. present — a gift
  10. lean — thin
  11. file — a document
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — a match
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. game — wild animals
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stand — to bear

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