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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.

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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: track · cell · tube · pitcher · swing · lie · trunk · bulb

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — to keep track
  6. swing — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. track — a path
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. track — a song
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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