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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: swing · arm · trunk · chest · coach · tube · wax · bowl

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tube — the underground
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chest — a box
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. swing — music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. swing — in golf
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. arm — part of the body

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