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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 · rush · foot · rest · content · band · tube · sharp

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. sharp — clever
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. tube — a container
  8. rush — hurry
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. content — happy
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rest — a break
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a ring
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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