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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: ground · lean · jam · file · pop · face · scale · squash

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ground — a position
  5. scale — in music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ground — crushed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lean — thin
  14. pop — music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. face — to confront
  17. file — a document
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pop — soda
  23. face — to point toward
  24. jam — a tight spot

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