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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chip — to eat
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. row — a line
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — in sport
  18. branch — a division
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chip — for betting

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