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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: chip · cap · track · spring · firm · ball · wound · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. firm — a company
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. firm — decided
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wake — a trail
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spring — a coil
  17. track — a path
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. firm — steady

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