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

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — of water
  6. land — a country
  7. key — in music
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. swing — music
  11. bank — for money
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bank — for money
  14. key — for a lock
  15. land — ground
  16. chip — for betting
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. swing — to play on
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. land — to come down

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