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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 116 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: trunk · content · deal · tear · wound · chip · mine · swing

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. deal — to handle
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. content — happy
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. swing — to play on
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — in a computer

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