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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — the amount
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — the season
  9. content — happy
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. scale — in music
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a line of people
  18. shower — rain
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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