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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.

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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 · clip · trunk · pit · file · deal · mouse · leaves

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. scale — in music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. file — a tool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pit — a hole
  9. file — a document
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pit — in a race
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of a car

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