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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: plane · chip · roll · charge · band · wound · sharp · kid

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. plane — a tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. band — a ring
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. roll — a list
  13. band — a music group
  14. chip — for betting
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kid — child
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kid — to tease
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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