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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: content · last · tube · rash · stand · pass · drill · trunk

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. content — the amount
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. last — to go on
  7. drill — army training
  8. rash — a series
  9. last — final
  10. content — happy
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. last — finally
  14. tube — a container
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stand — to bear
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pass — a permit
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rash — on the skin

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