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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 120 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: tube · spring · net · rush · trunk · cell · mouse · chest

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. chest — a box
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rush — hurry
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spring — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. tube — a container
  19. cell — in biology
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. net — for catching

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