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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: wound · can · chip · leaves · bass · spell · cue · row

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spell — magic
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — letters
  12. cue — for pool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bass — low music
  15. cue — a hint
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cue — a signal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — lets stay

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