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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 · trunk · court · rule · pound · wax · mine · field

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. field — a subject
  7. court — of law
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rule — government
  10. court — for sport
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — of a king
  16. field — for sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rule — a law

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