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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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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 · object · deal · coach · root · stick · cell · file

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cell — a phone
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. root — of a plant
  8. object — a thing
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. root — of a word
  11. file — a document
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. root — the cause
  14. scale — in music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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