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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: file · rest · drill · degree · scale · fine · bear · bulb

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. degree — from a university
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. file — a document
  12. bear — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. drill — army training
  21. bulb — for light
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bulb — of a plant

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