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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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468
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: stick · deal · tube · kid · sharp · wound · ball · nail

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — a container
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ball — a dance
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tube — the underground

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