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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: wind · deal · root · land · tube · trunk · patient · straw

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. root — of a word
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — ground
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tube — a container
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. deal — to handle
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — the underground
  17. root — the cause
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. trunk — of a tree

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