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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · chip · season · wake · ground · tear · drill · mouse

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ground — the earth
  4. date — the fruit
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tear — to rip
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ground — a position
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. season — of the year
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. date — on the calendar

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