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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 · cell · fan · trunk · ruler · bound · field · ball

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cell — a phone
  3. field — a subject
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bound — certain
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. field — for sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — in biology
  20. tube — a container
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ball — a dance
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ruler — a monarch

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