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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. squash — the sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rock — a stone
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cell — a phone
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — in music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. scale — for weighing

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