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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: chip · pop · straw · hand · rush · bear · mine · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chip — to eat
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hand — in cards
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pop — soda
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. hand — help
  24. face — to confront

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