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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 116 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: trunk · calf · dip · wake · ground · cold · bound · chip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bound — certain
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — a position
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bound — obliged
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bound — tied together
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cold — not warm

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