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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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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: trunk · mouse · chip · tear · cold · snap · lie · firm

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cold — an illness
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to click
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. firm — steady
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. firm — decided
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. firm — a company
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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