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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: arm · mark · bulb · ground · spring · scale · game · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. ground — a position
  4. spring — the season
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mark — a trace
  8. scale — size or range
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. file — a document
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — in music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. game — a match

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