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

Word bank: rest · cap · trunk · straw · chair · wave · sharp · tube

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chair — a leader
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rest — a break
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tube — a container
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cap — a hat

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