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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: club · track · chip · cap · tube · scale · snap · wound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. tube — a container
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cap — of ice
  13. track — a path
  14. tube — the underground
  15. chip — for betting
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. club — a group
  18. track — a song
  19. chip — to eat
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. snap — to click
  24. cap — a lid

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