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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: bank · sharp · chip · face · cold · spring · current · scale

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — in music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. scale — size or range
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. current — electric
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chip — to eat
  10. current — of water
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cold — not warm
  13. face — to confront
  14. sharp — clever
  15. current — happening now
  16. spring — the season
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — a coil
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spring — of water
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cold — an illness

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