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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.

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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: trunk · firm · wake · snap · court · file · safe · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. court — of law
  3. firm — steady
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. snap — to click
  6. court — of a king
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a tool
  12. firm — decided
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. firm — a company
  18. scale — in music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wake — a trail
  22. court — for sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. trunk — of a car

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