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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: cold · trunk · straw · file · tube · pound · rash · cabinet

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cold — an illness
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. tube — a container
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cold — not warm
  16. tube — the underground
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rash — a series
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. straw — a straw man

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