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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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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 · deal · scale · fall · cell · prune · face · club

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. scale — in music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. file — a tool
  6. club — for golf
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — a group
  10. scale — size or range
  11. face — to confront
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — the season
  17. prune — to trim
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. club — for dancing
  20. face — part of the head
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cell — a phone

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