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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: file · hand · chip · bulb · bore · trunk · scale · cabinet

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chip — for betting
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. hand — help
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. scale — in music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bore — to drill
  17. file — a tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a document
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. file — a line of people
  24. scale — size or range

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