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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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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: chip · mine · tube · pitcher · saw · nail · spring · staff

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — employees
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. staff — a stick
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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