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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.

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: trunk · tube · root · fan · mate · can · cold · pass

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cold — an illness
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. can — a tin
  9. mate — to breed
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. root — of a word
  19. cold — not warm
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. can — a tin
  22. root — the cause
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cold — the Cold War

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