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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 116 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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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: wind · ruler · trunk · cold · tube · swing · can · fork

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. swing — music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — in a road
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cold — an illness
  24. swing — to play on

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