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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: wound · rock · craft · dip · tear · chip · cap · track

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — to rip
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rock — music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rock — a stone
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. track — a path
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. track — a song
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wound — an injury

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