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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: perch · track · pass · kid · tear · trunk · face · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. perch — the fish
  3. face — part of the head
  4. track — a path
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tube — a container
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. track — a song
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. face — to confront
  18. tear — to rip
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. kid — child

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