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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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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 · fine · wound · staff · trunk · kick · rash · mine

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — hasty
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kick — in football
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — for digging
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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