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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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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. ground — crushed
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — a position
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wake — a trail
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. kid — child
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — a division
  20. bore — to drill
  21. row — a line
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wake — before a funeral

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