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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · file · bear · season · scale · tear · land · mouse

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. land — a country
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. file — a line of people
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. scale — in music
  16. file — a document
  17. season — in sport
  18. scale — size or range
  19. tear — from crying
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. tear — to rip
  22. ball — a dance
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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