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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 120 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: scale · pound · bore · dip · file · net · chest · spell

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — after costs
  4. chest — a box
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bore — to drill
  9. file — a line of people
  10. dip — to sink
  11. scale — in music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. file — a document
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pound — a weight
  21. net — in sport
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pound — to hit hard

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