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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.

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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: band · bowl · mark · mug · kick · wind · chip · land

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mug — a cup
  3. land — to come down
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mug — a face
  6. kick — in football
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. land — ground
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — a country
  16. band — a music group
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wind — moving air

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