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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: kid · tube · staff · squash · coach · ball · bulb · hand

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kid — child
  3. staff — a stick
  4. kid — to tease
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — to crush
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — employees
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — help
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. tube — a container
  24. hand — in cards

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