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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · coach · hide · hand · plane · spring · pit

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chip — to eat
  15. hand — in cards
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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