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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: drill · pass · prune · trunk · lie · bat · rule · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pass — a permit
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rule — a law
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lie — to recline
  10. scale — in music
  11. drill — a practice
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rule — government
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. drill — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — army training
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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