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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: rock · ground · scale · foot · file · mine · face · clip

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. file — a document
  3. rock — a stone
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — in music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. face — to confront
  9. scale — size or range
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ground — the earth
  12. clip — a video
  13. ground — crushed
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rock — music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. foot — a measure
  20. file — a tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — for digging
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ground — a position

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