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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: rest · season · last · pop · trunk · suit · chest · scale

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. last — finally
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rest — what's left
  5. last — to go on
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. pop — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — in sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chest — of your body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rest — a break
  21. pop — soda
  22. scale — in music
  23. season — of the year
  24. suit — clothes

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