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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: season · arm · tube · court · current · bore · trunk · straw

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to tire
  4. court — for sport
  5. current — electric
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. season — in sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. bore — to drill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. season — of the year
  20. court — of law
  21. tube — the underground
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. tube — a container
  24. bore — gave birth

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