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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: rush · trunk · chest · scale · object · track · season · fall

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chest — a box
  3. rush — hurry
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. object — a thing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. object — an aim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fall — the season
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. object — to protest
  24. season — in sport

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