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

Word bank: deal · club · chip · date · branch · board · wind · cabinet

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. board — a committee
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — for golf
  12. deal — to handle
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chip — for betting
  17. club — for dancing
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. branch — a division
  21. club — a group
  22. board — to get on
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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