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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: trunk · cap · band · row · tube · lie · wind · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cap — a hat
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. tube — the underground
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — of ice
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. row — a line
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — a container
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. trunk — of a car

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