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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: shower · last · bound · tube · trunk · calf · pitcher · pop

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — a container
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — the underground
  13. last — final
  14. bound — certain
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — finally
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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