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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: leaves · trunk · scale · ground · file · present · rock · season

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. file — a document
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. present — there
  8. rock — music
  9. present — a gift
  10. scale — in music
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. file — a line of people
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. file — a tool
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ground — the earth
  17. present — the time now
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. scale — size or range
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. ground — crushed

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