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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 · trunk · fall · spring · lie · scale · cold · date

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. scale — in music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fall — the season
  16. spring — the season
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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