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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 120 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: trunk · deal · tube · perch · kid · bay · cap · shower

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cap — a hat
  4. shower — rain
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. tube — a container
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. deal — to handle
  19. perch — the fish
  20. shower — to wash
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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