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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 116 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: spring · bear · pit · cap · tube · wake · kid · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — a trail
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pit — a hole
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. tube — a container
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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