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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: chip · wound · bass · bear · bound · dip · saw · foot

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bound — obliged
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bear — the animal
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bass — low music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bound — certain
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bear — the animal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — the fish
  24. saw — the tool

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