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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · bore · trunk · face · toast · tube · net · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. net — in sport
  7. toast — bread
  8. face — to confront
  9. net — for catching
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cold — an illness
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. net — after costs
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bore — to tire
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bank — for money
  19. bore — to drill
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bank — of a river
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — a container

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