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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. squash — to crush
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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