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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · bowl · scale · lean · current · cell · drill · row

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. row — a line
  5. scale — in music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. drill — a practice
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lean — to bend
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lean — thin
  20. drill — army training
  21. cell — in biology
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. current — electric
  24. leaves — to go away

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