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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 116 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: tube · snap · trunk · rule · fan · spell · file · bound

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. tube — a container
  3. bound — certain
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. file — a line of people
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rule — government
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rule — a law
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. file — a document
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tube — the underground
  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