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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: tear · chip · date · squash · row · tube · deal · current

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. row — a line
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chip — for betting
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — to eat
  11. date — the fruit
  12. tube — a container
  13. current — happening now
  14. squash — to crush
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. current — of water
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. current — electric
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — a big deal

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