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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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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 · club · tube · kid · tear · staff · season · craft

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — in sport
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. kid — child
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chip — for betting
  18. club — a group
  19. craft — a skill
  20. tube — a container
  21. kid — to tease
  22. craft — boats
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — for golf

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