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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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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: rule · chest · craft · land · chip · wave

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rule — a law
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. land — to come down
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chip — for betting
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chest — a box
  18. chip — in a computer

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