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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 116 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: scale · race · wound · file · bound · tear · saw · bulb

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — a contest
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a document
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — certain
  17. file — a tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. race — the arms race
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — humankind
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wound — an injury

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