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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · season · pitcher · wound · tube · wake · cell · snap

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. snap — to click
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chip — for betting
  13. season — of the year
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. chip — to eat
  17. tube — a container
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitcher — a jug

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