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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 116 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bat — the animal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. field — for sport
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — a subject
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tube — the underground

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