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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: track · tube · coach · roll · cap · ball · bark · trunk

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tube — the underground
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ball — a great time
  7. roll — a list
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cap — a lid
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cap — a hat
  12. roll — a cake
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. coach — a trainer
  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