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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 · chip · bowl · bark · tube · can · key · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. can — a tin
  5. kid — child
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chip — to eat
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. clip — a video
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tube — the underground
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tube — a container
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chip — for betting

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