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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: mate · kid · roll · snap · chip · tube · club · stem

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. club — for dancing
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — to breed
  6. chip — to eat
  7. club — for golf
  8. tube — a container
  9. club — a group
  10. chip — for betting
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. kid — to tease
  13. roll — a list
  14. snap — to click
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mate — a partner
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. kid — child
  22. mate — a friend
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stem — of a plant

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