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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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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. row — a line
  7. cue — a signal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — of the year
  16. board — to get on
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. row — to paddle
  23. scale — size or range
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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