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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: mouse · tube · pop · nail · chip · branch · date · row

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. tube — the underground
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — a container
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. branch — a division
  7. pop — music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — to visit
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — to paddle
  22. date — the fruit
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — on the calendar

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