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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: scale · mug · wound · tear · rash · chip · pitcher · bulb

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — hasty
  9. tear — from crying
  10. scale — in music
  11. rash — a series
  12. tear — from crying
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mug — a face
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bulb — for light

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