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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: rush · bass · file · scale · lie · trunk · bear · season

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. file — a document
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — in music
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bass — the instrument
  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