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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 · kid · fork · spring · wake · scale · wound · bowl

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kid — child
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. spring — of water
  24. chip — for betting

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