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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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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: mine · wind · spell · chip · lash · bay · rush · fall

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spell — letters
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fall — the season
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spell — magic
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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