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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · capital · fan · chair · trunk · spring · can · mouse

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spring — a coil
  5. can — a tin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a city
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spring — of water
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spring — the season
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. tube — a container
  23. capital — money
  24. chair — a leader

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