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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: chip · wave · band · mine · lash · arm · land · dip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. land — to come down
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chip — to eat
  11. land — ground
  12. mine — for digging
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wave — with your hand

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