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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: trunk · season · scale · mine · spring · perch · ruler · cue

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cue — for pool
  13. season — of the year
  14. spring — of water
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. scale — in music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cue — a hint
  22. spring — the season
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — size or range

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