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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: chip · wax · wind · spring · mine · pound · hide · trunk

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — to grow

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