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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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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 · trunk · pit · tube · lean · cabinet · cell · lash

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lean — thin
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — the underground
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — a trail
  12. tube — a container
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pit — in a race
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cell — in a prison
  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