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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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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: stick · chip · shower · rest · cell · wound

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chip — for betting
  5. shower — rain
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rest — a break
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — to wash

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