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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 116 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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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 · tear · wound · spell · wind · safe · bore · cue

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — letters
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wind — to turn a key

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