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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.

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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: kid · scale · file · ball · straw · lean · root · pass

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — thin
  6. kid — child
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. file — a line of people
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ball — a great time
  16. file — a tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. root — of a plant
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. scale — in music
  24. lean — to bend

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