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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
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: leaves · rock · trunk · tear · snap · object · scale · land

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tear — from crying
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — ground
  8. scale — in music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. object — to protest
  11. snap — to click
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — a country
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. object — a thing
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — a stone

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