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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: mouse · chip · ground · tear · band · straw · rash · nail

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. band — a music group
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ground — a position
  18. rash — a series
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. band — a ring
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mouse — the animal

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