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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: rash · kid · clip · board · tube · rush · craft · stand

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. board — a committee
  5. craft — boats
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. clip — a video
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. board — to get on
  12. kid — child
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. tube — a container
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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