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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: roll · kid · chip · season · wound · fork · ground · wax

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. roll — a list
  4. season — of the year
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kid — child
  8. fork — in a road
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ground — a position
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chip — for betting
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chip — to eat
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wound — an injury

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