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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 116 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 · kick · kid · safe · wind · lean · craft · wound

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. kid — child
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. kick — in football
  12. kid — to tease
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lean — thin
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chip — to eat
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. craft — boats
  24. kick — with a 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