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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: foot · tube · land · trunk · stick · wake · mark · pop

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pop — soda
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — a country
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. foot — a measure
  21. land — to come down
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mark — to pay attention

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