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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 · bowl · fall · perch · trunk · track · file · degree

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. file — a document
  6. perch — the fish
  7. track — a song
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — a container
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a line of people
  14. track — a path
  15. fall — to drop
  16. file — a tool
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fall — the season
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — an amount
  23. track — to keep track
  24. trunk — of a car

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