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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. kick — in football
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lean — to bend
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. content — happy
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lean — thin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. kick — a thrill
  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