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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: saw · land · chip · wound · key · rush · wax · bowl

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. land — to come down
  6. wound — an injury
  7. land — a country
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — the tool
  15. key — in music
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rush — hurry

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