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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 116 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: wake · coach · trunk · bear · hand · object · tube · content

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. object — to protest
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hand — help
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — in cards
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. content — the amount

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