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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: deal · nail · tube · tear · kid · board · staff · saw

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tube — a container
  4. tear — to rip
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. board — a committee
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. kid — to tease
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — a stick
  20. board — to get on
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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