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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: capital · wound · tube · chair · kick · trunk · mouse · pit

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — a container
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. kick — in football
  9. capital — money
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — a city
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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