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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: straw · net · chest · file · tube · trunk · deal · content

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chest — a box
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a line of people
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. content — the amount
  10. chest — of your body
  11. net — after costs
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. file — a document
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tube — the underground
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. deal — to handle
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — a container
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. file — a tool

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