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

Word bank: staff · trunk · safe · spring · chest · rule · scale · bay

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rule — a law
  5. staff — a stick
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. staff — employees
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chest — a box
  14. rule — government
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. chest — of your body
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — the season
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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