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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: tube · content · staff · race · squash · craft · coach · pop

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. content — the amount
  3. staff — employees
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — a skill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. squash — the sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — soda
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — the underground

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