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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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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: wound · wake · cap · present · game · bear · craft · chip

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bear — the animal
  12. craft — boats
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. craft — a handicraft

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