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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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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: track · roll · trunk · cabinet · key · shower · race · scale

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — to keep track
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. track — a song
  13. key — in music
  14. race — a contest
  15. key — for a lock
  16. scale — in music
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. shower — rain
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. roll — a list
  22. key — the most important part
  23. track — a path
  24. race — humankind

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