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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: land · content · season · chip · calf · wound · press · craft

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — ground
  4. content — the amount
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — a skill
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. press — to push
  18. chip — for betting
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. craft — boats
  22. content — happy
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. calf — of the leg

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