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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: stick · bowl · degree · wake · trunk · leaves · tube · wound

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wake — a trail
  16. degree — an amount
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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