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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 · chest · nail · land · tube · cap · can · face

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. land — to come down
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — a country
  7. chest — a box
  8. land — ground
  9. cap — a lid
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. face — to confront
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cap — of ice
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chest — of your body
  20. tube — a container
  21. can — a tin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. face — part of the head

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