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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 120 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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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: trunk · cold · tube · deal · rest · cap · stem · fan

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. tube — a container
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cold — not warm
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rest — a break
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. deal — an agreement

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