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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: staff · fall · cap · tube · trunk · net · mate · stick

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cap — a lid
  3. staff — employees
  4. net — after costs
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. net — for catching
  9. mate — a partner
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. net — in sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. staff — employees
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — to drop
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mate — to breed

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