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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.

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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: root · staff · bear · tear · sharp · wound · game · chip

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a plant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — to rip
  15. sharp — clever
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — of a word
  18. game — a match
  19. root — the cause
  20. chip — for betting
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wound — an injury
  24. staff — employees

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