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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · ball · capital · craft · prune · tube · safe

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ball — a dance
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. capital — money
  9. craft — boats
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tube — a container
  13. craft — a skill
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chip — to eat
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. capital — a city
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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