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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · chip · calf · bear · spring · mouse · field · wind

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chip — to eat
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — for sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — farmland
  14. spring — the season
  15. field — a subject
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — help
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bear — to put up with

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