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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.

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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 · wake · shower · bear · firm · staff · kick · wound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — decided
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. kick — in football
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — rain
  14. firm — steady
  15. chip — to eat
  16. firm — a company
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wake — before a funeral

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