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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fall — the season
  3. rash — a series
  4. scale — size or range
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — the season
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fall — to drop

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