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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 · cap · chip · season · tear · nail · trunk · race

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. race — humankind
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tube — a container
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tear — from crying
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cap — a hat
  23. season — in sport
  24. race — the arms race

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