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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: file · trunk · wind · field · mouse · tube · scale · ground

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. scale — in music
  7. field — farmland
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — a container
  17. ground — a position
  18. field — a subject
  19. scale — size or range
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ground — the earth

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