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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.

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: scale · fall · fine · date · rule · file · degree · prune

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fall — the season
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — an amount
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. file — a tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. file — a document
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rule — a law
  19. fine — high quality
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. scale — in music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rule — government

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