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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bank — for money
  13. roll — a cake
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. roll — a list
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — to go on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. kid — to tease

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