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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · date · trunk · cap · bowl · leaves · fork · can

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. can — a tin
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cap — a lid
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. scale — size or range
  19. date — the fruit
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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