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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 · toast · stick · plane · trunk · degree · lie · chair

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tube — a container
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. degree — from a university
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — temperature
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. toast — bread
  23. degree — an amount
  24. plane — a tool

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