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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 116 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: scale · bark · trunk · pit · bat · track · fan · stand

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. scale — in music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. track — to keep track
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pit — in a race

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