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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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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 · cap · lie · race · wound · kick · track · trunk

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. track — a path
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cap — a hat
  7. race — humankind
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tube — a container
  12. race — the arms race
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. track — a song
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — a contest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — in football
  24. track — to keep track

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