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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — happy
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. band — a ring
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. staff — a stick
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — the amount

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