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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: tube · safe · wind · present · land · chip · row · spring

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — a country
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. present — there
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. land — to come down
  10. present — a gift
  11. wind — moving air
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — the season
  19. land — ground
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. tube — the underground
  24. present — the time now

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