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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: kick · chip · wound · spell · net · tube · press · staff

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. kick — in football
  7. press — to push
  8. spell — magic
  9. staff — a stick
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chip — to eat
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — letters
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — a publisher

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