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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: bank · pitcher · spring · tube · trunk · wake · object · court

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — a trail
  5. court — of a king
  6. bank — for money
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — a container
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spring — the season
  16. bank — of a river
  17. court — of law
  18. bank — for money
  19. object — a thing
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spring — of water
  22. court — for sport
  23. object — an aim
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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