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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: bear · pit · chip · tube · band · charge · race · nail

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. pit — in a race
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. race — humankind
  13. band — a ring
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. charge — in control
  20. chip — for betting
  21. band — a music group
  22. bear — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. nail — for a hammer

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