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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 120 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: wind · mine · chip · trunk · hand · mouse · firm · board

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hand — help
  5. mine — for digging
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. firm — steady
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. firm — a company
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. firm — decided
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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