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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: file · dip · mine · wound · chip · can · bass · fine

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. can — a tin
  6. fine — all right
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — low music
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chip — for betting

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