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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 120 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: fall · trunk · file · scale · mouse · pop · plane · field

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. scale — size or range
  3. field — farmland
  4. fall — the season
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. plane — a tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. file — a tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. pop — music
  20. file — a document
  21. pop — soda
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. field — a subject

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