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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: leaves · spring · trunk · mark · scale · ruler · net · prune

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. net — for catching
  6. scale — in music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. net — after costs
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — in sport
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spring — of water
  20. scale — size or range
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a trace
  24. leaves — lets stay

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