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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: wound · cabinet · content · present · scale · bass · file · leaves

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. file — a tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bass — low music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. file — a document
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. scale — in music
  21. present — there
  22. bass — the fish
  23. file — a line of people
  24. present — a gift

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