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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 120 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: chair · chip · craft · spell · wind · ground · calf · spring

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spell — letters
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ground — the earth
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wind — moving air
  13. craft — boats
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — magic
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ground — crushed
  20. craft — a skill
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. calf — a young animal
  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