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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 120 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: scale · sharp · file · bay · season · leaves · mine · wake

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. scale — size or range
  15. file — a document
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. season — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — of the year

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