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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: land · cabinet · trunk · nail · bark · fan · lash · tube

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tube — a container
  17. land — ground
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fan — a supporter

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