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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 · cell · rule · safe · rash · spring · wound · cap

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rule — a law
  9. spring — the season
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — government
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cap — a lid

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