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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: sharp · mine · trunk · band · lean · foot · tube · mouse

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tube — a container
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. foot — a measure

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