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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: dip · can · rock · trunk · bat · squash · court · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rock — music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rock — a stone
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. dip — to sink
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of a king
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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