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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
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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: land · rush · face · trunk · hand · bound · squash · chip

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — help
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chip — to eat
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. land — a country
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bound — certain
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chip — for betting
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — in cards
  24. land — ground

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