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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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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: kid · wave · mine · wind · fan · racket · chip · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — for betting
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — to eat
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — child
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mine — for digging

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