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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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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: bear · saw · game · land · scale · lean · chip · wound

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. land — a country
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. land — to come down
  20. chip — for betting
  21. land — ground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wound — an injury
  24. game — a match

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