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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: ruler · fan · rest · trunk · season · land · scale · track

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. season — in sport
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — of the year
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. scale — in music
  16. track — a path
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — a song
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. scale — size or range
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. land — a country
  24. ruler — for measuring

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