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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.

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: spell · season · can · lean · file · hide · scale · rest

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. can — a tin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. season — in sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — thin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — magic
  14. season — of the year
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to bend
  19. scale — in music
  20. file — a document
  21. rest — a break
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. file — a tool

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