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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · wind · trunk · perch · pitcher · cue · object · rash

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — a thing
  17. perch — the fish
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. object — an aim
  22. tube — the underground
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cue — a signal

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