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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — rain
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — hurry
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. land — ground
  24. scale — size or range

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