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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: date · trunk · mug · chip · tube · object · squash · mouse

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. object — an aim
  4. tube — a container
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mug — to rob
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mug — a face
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — the sport
  21. object — a thing
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mug — a cup

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