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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fall — the season
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spell — magic
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — in music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rock — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. can — a tin
  15. cap — a lid
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cap — of ice
  24. can — a tin

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