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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: staff · tube · ruler · bulb · bat · wake · cell · trunk

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tube — a container
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. staff — employees
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — a phone
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bat — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — in biology
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wake — a trail

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