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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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468
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: trunk · bat · tube · ruler · pitcher · rash · wind · mate

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mate — a partner
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tube — a container
  23. rash — a series
  24. bat — for baseball

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