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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 · land · sharp · lean · chest · rush · fan · wake

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lean — to bend
  3. land — ground
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chest — a box
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chest — of your body
  16. land — a country
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — to hurry

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