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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: tear · mug · tube · cap · kid · lean · racket · trunk

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cap — a lid
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lean — thin
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kid — child
  14. mug — a face
  15. tube — the underground
  16. kid — to tease
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cap — of ice
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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