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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: bulb · tube · trunk · wound · bark · pitcher · cabinet · mouse

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — to shout

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