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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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468
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: shower · tube · fork · chip · pit · cabinet · bass · trunk

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tube — a container
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bass — low music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fork — in a road
  13. shower — rain
  14. bass — the fish
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tube — the underground
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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