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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: wave · trunk · drill · pit · rush · fan · tube · wound

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pit — in a race
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tube — a container
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — hurry
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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