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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: chip · hand · rush · lean · saw · bore · mine · wake

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — to tire
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bore — to drill
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. lean — thin
  16. chip — for betting
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. hand — in cards

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