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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: bore · ball · cell · last · fan · scale · trunk · row

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. scale — in music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — finally
  6. row — a line
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — a phone
  11. row — to paddle
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. last — to go on
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ball — a dance
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of a car

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