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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: trunk · safe · tube · cell · bass · kid · degree · net

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. net — in sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. kid — child
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. degree — temperature
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cell — in biology
  12. net — for catching
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cell — a phone
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tube — the underground
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. net — after costs
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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