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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · mate · tear · cell · net · trunk · current · season

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. season — of the year
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mate — a friend
  7. scale — in music
  8. net — in sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. net — after costs
  15. season — in sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mate — to breed
  24. season — to add flavour

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