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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: prune · chip · hand · fan · tube · trunk · stand · chest

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. chest — a box
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tube — a container
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chest — of your body
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chip — to eat
  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