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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 120 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
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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 · stock · lean · game · cell · straw · perch · tube

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in biology
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lean — thin
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — a phone
  20. game — a match
  21. perch — the fish
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lean — to bend

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