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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · craft · tube · chip · wound · dip · wind · stock

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — to sink
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chip — for betting
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stock — shares
  20. craft — boats
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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