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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
468
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: last · clip · lash · ruler · fall · file · scale · mine

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. clip — a video
  3. last — final
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fall — the season
  8. clip — to cut
  9. file — a document
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — to go on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fall — to drop
  16. last — finally
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mine — for digging
  21. file — a tool
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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