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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 116 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: board · band · patient · content · tube · snap · sharp · trunk

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tube — the underground
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. band — a ring
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. content — happy
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. board — a committee
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. snap — to click
  22. content — the amount
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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