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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: last · scale · rush · file · pound · arm · spell · dip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. file — a tool
  4. last — finally
  5. pound — a weight
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. last — final
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spell — magic
  14. last — to go on
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. spell — letters
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spell — a short time
  24. dip — to dunk

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