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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.

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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: lean · cold · trunk · scale · craft · prune · pit · cabinet

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lean — thin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — in music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. scale — size or range
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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