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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: tube · tear · chip · cabinet · craft · pit · drill · season

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. craft — a skill
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. craft — boats
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chip — to eat
  14. season — in sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tube — a container
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. season — of the year
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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