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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 · tube · hide · toast · trunk · fall · pitch · lash

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitch — completely
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. roll — a list
  9. fall — the season
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — a container
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitch — a sports field

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