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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pass · season · capital · scale · trunk · row · date · calf

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — a line
  6. capital — money
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. scale — size or range
  9. capital — a city
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — in music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. date — the fruit
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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