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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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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: arm · wake · trunk · tube · can · pit · band · wind

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tube — a container
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a ring
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pit — in a race
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. can — to be able to

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