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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. club — a group
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stand — to bear
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. file — a tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. file — a document
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. trunk — of a tree

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