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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · calf · current · saw · mouse · mine · chip · land

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — electric
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. wind — moving air
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. land — a country
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — of water
  22. land — ground
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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