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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: bound · patient · hand · chip · wound · safe · trunk · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wound — an injury
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. spell — a short time
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — obliged
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spell — letters
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bound — certain
  19. hand — in cards
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — in a computer

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