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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · scale · capital · leaves · hide · pit · fall · trunk

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. capital — money
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pit — a hole
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pit — in a race
  17. scale — in music
  18. capital — a city
  19. spring — the season
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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