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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: can · trunk · game · tube · cabinet · swing · racket · stand

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. swing — to play on
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — a container
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stand — to bear
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — the underground
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. can — a tin
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — a match
  24. swing — music

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