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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.

Make a worksheet

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: saw · scale · fan · clip · roll · ground · season · leaves

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. scale — size or range
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. clip — to cut
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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