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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 · row · straw · kid · object · wax · squash · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. row — to paddle
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. squash — to crush
  7. row — a line
  8. wax — to grow
  9. object — to protest
  10. kid — to tease
  11. squash — the sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. object — a thing
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. tube — a container
  21. kid — child
  22. chip — to eat
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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