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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · lean · row · scale · cue · stand · spring · snap

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spring — the season
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lean — thin
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. snap — to click
  22. scale — size or range
  23. row — to paddle
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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