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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: rash · bowl · trunk · bat · rock · scale · club · land

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rash — a series
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rock — music
  7. land — to come down
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. club — for golf
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. bat — the animal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of a tree

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