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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: fall · lie · staff · game · cabinet · cell · branch · chip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — employees
  6. fall — the season
  7. lie — to recline
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — for betting
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chip — to eat
  17. branch — a division
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. game — wild animals

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