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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: bulb · ball · file · bark · nail · scale · mate · press

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. press — to push
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mate — a partner
  15. file — a document
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — a publisher
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. press — newspapers
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a tool
  24. ball — a dance

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