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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: wake · cap · tear · trunk · chest · bore · tube · can

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — a tin
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tube — a container
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tear — to rip
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cap — a lid

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