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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — in music
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pit — in a race
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spell — magic
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mark — a grade
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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