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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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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: can · tear · tube · pound · capital · drill · trunk · rash

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. capital — money
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pound — a weight
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. capital — a city
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — hasty

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