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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: can · wound · toast · cell · spring · fall · chip · object

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spring — the season
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spring — a coil
  5. object — an aim
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. object — a thing
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — of water
  12. chip — to eat
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cell — in biology
  19. object — to protest
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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