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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: chip · stock · can · wax · mate · tube · craft · clip

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. chip — to eat
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mate — a partner
  6. craft — boats
  7. mate — to breed
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — a video
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chip — for betting
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. clip — for paper
  24. craft — a handicraft

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