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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: mine · chip · content · cap · trunk · plane · rush · saw

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. content — the amount
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cap — a lid
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cap — a hat

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