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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 120 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: kid · straw · chip · wax · land · file · fan · fork

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — in a road
  3. file — a line of people
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. land — ground
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. kid — to tease
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kid — child
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. file — a tool
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. land — to come down

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