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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: wave · chip · present · drill · ground · mate · land · straw

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. drill — a practice
  3. present — there
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mate — a friend
  6. drill — the tool
  7. land — a country
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. ground — crushed
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. drill — army training
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mate — a partner
  14. land — to come down
  15. present — a gift
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mate — to breed
  19. present — the time now
  20. chip — to eat
  21. ground — a position
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. ground — the earth
  24. land — ground

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