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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · trunk · rock · drill · mine · lean · cell

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rock — music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tube — the underground
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. drill — army training
  18. rash — a series
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lean — thin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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