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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: stick · hand · wake · rock · chip · spring · lean · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spring — the season
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hand — help
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spring — of water
  24. lean — thin

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