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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 120 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 · rule · wake · leaves · last · fork · scale · dip

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. scale — in music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. dip — to sink
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. last — to go on
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. last — finally
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. last — final
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. scale — size or range

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