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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. content — happy
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bark — to shout
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tube — the underground
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. trunk — of a car

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