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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: roll · straw · trunk · cabinet · file · firm · cell · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tube — a container
  4. firm — decided
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. firm — a company
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. firm — steady
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. file — a line of people
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. cell — a phone
  18. roll — a list
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cabinet — ministers

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