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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: tube · trunk · content · degree · last · file · can · wake

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. content — happy
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — the amount
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. degree — temperature
  8. last — to go on
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wake — a trail
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — a container
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — final
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. content — videos and posts

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