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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: tear · straw · net · file · firm · vault · scale · season

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — decided
  4. season — of the year
  5. file — a line of people
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. file — a document
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. firm — a company
  12. file — a tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. firm — steady
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. season — in sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. scale — in music
  23. net — in sport
  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