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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: tube · leaves · trunk · straw · wake · mouse · roll · sharp

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. sharp — clever
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. roll — a list
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. roll — a cake
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. leaves — lets stay

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