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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: kid · track · ruler · game · fall · trunk · ground · tube

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. track — to keep track
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kid — to tease
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. track — a song
  9. game — wild animals
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fall — the season
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tube — a container
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. game — a match
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — to drop

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