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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · mine · track · tube · kid · rule · net · dip

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rule — a law
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. net — for catching
  12. track — to keep track
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. net — after costs
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. track — a song
  20. kid — to tease
  21. track — a path
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rule — government
  24. kid — child

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