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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 · suit · pitcher · bore · lean · leaves · land · cell

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. land — to come down
  4. bore — to tire
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. suit — clothes
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cell — a phone
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lean — thin
  17. suit — to fit
  18. land — ground
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chip — in a computer

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