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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: trunk · tube · band · land · fine · squash · suit · board

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. land — a country
  6. squash — to crush
  7. band — a ring
  8. suit — to fit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — to come down
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. suit — clothes
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fine — high quality
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. land — ground
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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