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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: wake · clip · patient · rock · trunk · fan · roll · scale

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wake — a trail
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — size or range
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. scale — in music
  18. clip — a video
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rock — music
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. clip — for paper

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