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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 116 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 · spring · mate · staff · dip · kick · wake · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spring — of water
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wake — a trail
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mate — a partner
  7. dip — to sink
  8. staff — employees
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. staff — employees
  16. kick — in football
  17. staff — a stick
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. tube — a container
  21. spring — the season
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mate — a friend

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