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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: chip · wound · lean · racket · bore · nail · land · march

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chip — for betting
  6. land — ground
  7. bore — to tire
  8. land — to come down
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lean — thin
  17. land — a country
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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