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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. file — a tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tube — a container
  9. cold — an illness
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. face — part of the head
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tube — the underground
  14. face — to confront
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mark — a trace
  19. file — a document
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — not warm

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