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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: spell · fall · kid · drill · bound · dip · scale · file

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. spell — letters
  2. file — a line of people
  3. scale — in music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. drill — the tool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kid — child
  14. fall — the season
  15. scale — size or range
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — tied together
  21. drill — army training
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bound — certain
  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