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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 · fall · trunk · field · scale · mug · kick · bass

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. field — for sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bass — the fish
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. tube — a container
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bass — low music
  15. fall — the season
  16. mug — a face
  17. kick — in football
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — a subject
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. scale — in music
  23. field — farmland
  24. kick — a thrill

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