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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: file · cabinet · scale · cell · bass · roll · row · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rush — hurry
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. row — a line
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — in music
  13. file — a document
  14. cell — in biology
  15. roll — a list
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. file — a tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. roll — a cake
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — size or range

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