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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 120 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: firm · club · staff · tube · kid · spring · net · charge

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. firm — decided
  3. club — a group
  4. net — in sport
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — for golf
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — of water
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tube — the underground
  13. charge — a price
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — the season
  17. kid — to tease
  18. firm — a company
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — a container
  22. kid — child
  23. firm — steady
  24. staff — a stick

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