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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — in sport
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — after costs
  9. last — to go on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — finally
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — final
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — for catching
  24. wind — moving air

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