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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 · foot · leaves · cue · scale · tear · pit · spell

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pit — in a race
  4. spell — letters
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. cue — a hint
  12. scale — size or range
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. scale — in music
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. foot — a measure
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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