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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · content · straw · cell · trunk · racket

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. content — the amount
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cell — a phone
  8. scale — in music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cell — in biology
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — happy
  18. cell — in a prison

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