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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · chip · wave · staff · current · scale · cabinet · mug

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chip — for betting
  3. scale — size or range
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. scale — in music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mug — a face
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — electric
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mug — a cup
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — in cards

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