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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — army training
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cue — a signal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — the tool
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spring — the season
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. scale — in music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cue — for pool

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