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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · ground · coach · stick · scale · charge · tear · tube

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. scale — size or range
  3. charge — in control
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tube — a container
  7. file — a tool
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. charge — electricity
  11. file — a document
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tube — the underground
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. scale — in music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. scale — for weighing

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