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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: tube · stick · stand · mine · trunk · race · wound · track

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. track — a song
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — to keep track
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. tube — a container
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — a path
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — the underground

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