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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: spell · fork · tube · hide · bear · trunk · bat · cell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spell — magic
  4. cell — a phone
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tube — a container
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fork — to eat with

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