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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: spring · pop · trunk · can · spell · bay · wind · chip

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pop — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pop — to visit
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — the season
  14. spell — letters
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. chip — to eat
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pop — soda
  21. can — to be able to
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spell — magic

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